Furry Diary

Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Celebes Rainbowfish

Marosatherina ladigesi (Ahl, 1936)

Also called Sailfin silverside

SpeciesShort profile

From Indonesia: endemic to South Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), around Maros and Bantimurung, in clear foothill streams and estuaries.123

At a glance the quick version

Length5 to 8 cm213
Sizesmall

Wikipedia: males 6-8 cm, females 5-7 cm; FishBase and Seriously Fish: 8 cm SL maximum

Graceful sail-like fins on males
Very peaceful
Easy to breed
31

Looks how to spot one

Scaled, slender, translucent silverside

A slim, almost see-through fish with a shining blue line along its side. Males are darker and grow long, sail-like extensions on the second dorsal and anal fins, which are black.23

ColoursTranslucent bodyBlue lateral stripeBlack elongated fins (males)23

Personality what they are like

A very peaceful fish that can be skittish, so it feels most confident in a group and among plants.3

Daily activity how busy a day looks

An active midwater swimmer; leave open lanes between planted areas where males can display to each other.3

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Prefers hard, alkaline water and does not thrive in acidic conditions. A varied diet and planted setting bring out its best colour. Salt is not needed.3

Home where they are happiest

Minimum tank base about 76 x 30 cm (around 68 litres). Temperature 22-28 °C, pH 7.0-8.0, hardness 10-25 dGH. Heavy planting with some floating plants to soften the light, and gentle flow.31

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivore. In the wild it eats small worms, insects and plant debris; in the aquarium it takes dried, frozen and live foods.23

Company who they like around

Keep at least 6-8, with two or three females per male.3

The story where it all began

Ahl described it in 1936 and named it after the German ichthyologist Werner Ladiges. For many years it was placed in Telmatherina before being moved to its own genus, Marosatherina, named after the town of Maros. Today it is farmed for the aquarium trade in Asia and Eastern Europe.123

Fun facts for the dinner table

  1. 1

    Its species name honours German ichthyologist and aquarist Werner Ladiges (1910-1984).1

  2. 2

    The genus name joins Maros, a town in Sulawesi, with Atherina, a silverside genus.2

  3. 3

    In good conditions it can spawn almost nonstop for months.2

  4. 4

    It is the only species in its genus.3

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List
Vulnerable (assessed July 2019)1
Taxonomy
Family Telmatherinidae; the only species in the genus Marosatherina, formerly Telmatherina ladigesi; described by Ahl in 19362

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Celebes Rainbowfish. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

Start a free diary

You might also like

Threadfin RainbowfishForktail Blue-eyeBanded Rainbowfish
our little thank-you jar

Like what we are building? Buy us a coffee.

The breed atlas is free for everyone, with a source on every fact, and it will never show ads. If it helped you, a small tip keeps the research going. Any amount is lovely, and no is a perfectly fine answer too.

Leave a tip

Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

  1. FishBase: Marosatherina ladigesi, Celebes rainbowfish fishbase.seused for author and year, distribution, max length, water ranges, IUCN status, etymology
  2. Wikipedia: Celebes rainbowfish en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, taxonomy, description, size, diet, breeding facts
  3. Seriously Fish: Marosatherina ladigesi (Celebes Rainbowfish) seriouslyfish.comused for habitat, tank size, water parameters, diet, behaviour, group size, dimorphism, taxonomy, farming

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.